In a store such as a supermarket and the like, a customer who purchases commodities puts displayed commodities in a shopping basket or a cart and carries the shopping basket or cart to a checkout counter. A shop clerk carries out checkout work at the checkout counter. A reading apparatus such as a barcode scanner for reading commodity information is arranged on the checkout counter. The shop clerk, standing at a position opposite to the customer across the checkout counter, reads the commodities brought by the customer one by one through the reading apparatus to input information relating to the commodity to be purchased.
Conventionally, there are provided various services for promoting sales in the store. For example, a service card such as a membership card, a so-called point card, and the like is distributed to customers, and points that are given according to purchase amount are stored cumulatively in a store server in association with the point card. The given points are used to receive a discount or exchange a commodity corresponding to the point amount from the next transaction and thereafter.
Further, the following service is also performed in the store. Service information indicating that a service such as a discount and the like is provided is announced in an advertisement medium such as a flier and the advertisement medium is widely distributed to customers. And only customers who present the advertisement medium or the service information can receive such a service.
Incidentally, in the constitution of the conventional checkout counter (registration apparatus), in a case in which the customer shows the service card or service information to an operator, the work of the shop clerk (operator) is interrupted, or the customer has to show the service card or service information before the registration work of the shop clerk is started or after the registration work of the shop clerk is completed, in general. As a result, there is a possibility that the work efficiency of the shop clerk is dropped. Further, there is also a problem that showing the service card or service information is too troublesome for customers.
In recent years, it is more and more popular to provide service information through a communication line such as an E-mail, a Web page and the like. In this case, customers receive the service information provided through the communication line with an information communication terminal such as a mobile phone and the like. The customers can show the display screen of the information communication terminal to the shop clerk to enjoy the service. However, there is a possibility that there are some customers who hesitate to show his/her information communication terminal in view of reason for privacy.